New Ultra Fast-Acting Insulin Fiasp is US FDA Approved

Novo Nordisk’s Fiasp (insulin aspart) 100 Units/mL has been approved by the U.S. FDA.

Fiasp is a fast-acting mealtime insulin for adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. According to a PR Newswirepress release, it can be given at the beginning of a meal or within 20 minutes after starting a meal.

Fiasp is a new formulation of NovoLog. They added niacinamide, otherwise known as vitamin B3 which speeds up the rate of initial absorption. Customers in Europe and Canada have already been using it.

How Fast is Insulin Fiasp?

A press release from Novo Nordisk states the new insulin Fiasp has “an onset of appearance in the blood in approximately 2.5 minutes” and will be available by FlexTouch insulin pens or via a 10mL vial.

Currently, most fast-acting insulin such as Humalog and NovoLog need 10-15 minutes to begin working and while Fiasp may not be a big difference, it draws hope for those who want to begin lowering blood sugar as soon as possible or those who don’t want to wait so long (or at all) before eating for their insulin to kick in.

Bruce Bode, MD FACE and President of Atlanta Diabetes Associates and Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine said in a statement:

Photo by Medscape

“With Fiasp, we’ve built on the insulin aspart molecule to create a new treatment option to help patients meet their post-meal blood sugar target,” and that “The intention of rapid acting insulin therapy is to mimic, as much as possible, the natural physiological insulin response that occurs after meals, a process that is important for optimal A1C management.”

Fiasp has been FDA approved thanks to results from the onset phase 3a clinical development program. These trials involved over 2,000 adults with type 1 and 2 diabetes. Participants showed a reduction in their A1c levels while taking Fiasp at mealtime and also after starting a meal.

Common adverse reactions, aside from low blood sugar episodes, were seen in ≥5% of the participants and included nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, nausea, diarrhea and back pain.

How Much Will Fiasp Cost and When Can We Get It?

Fiasp is going to launch at the same list price as NovoLog and Novo Nordisk will be offering a Savings Card program for those who are eligible and have commercial insurance to reduce co-pays. Patients using the Novo Nordisk Patient Assistance Program will also have Fiasp available. If you want to learn more about that assistance program you can call 866-310-7549.

A representative for Novo Nordisk wrote in an email that we should see Fiasp available in US pharmacies in late December or by early 2018.

Editor’s note: Update: Fiasp is now available in U.S. pharmacies. A press release states the following:

The list price of Fiasp is the same as mealtime insulin NovoLog and eligible patients with commercial insurance can use the Novo Nordisk Instant Savings Card to reduce co-pays for Fiaspto as low as $25 per 30-day supply for up to two years. For more information about the instant savings card, please visit www.MyFiaspSavings.com or call 877-304-6852.

Sysy Morales is a staff writer and editor at Diabetes Daily and has lived with type 1 diabetes for 24 years. She has led dozens of diabetes education and motivational programs across the country and is a graduate of The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Sysy started blogging about diabetes at The Girls Guide to Diabetes after the birth of her twins to share how she maintained recommended A1C levels during that time. What she has learned about diabetes dramatically improved her life and she is now obsessed with sharing information that may help other people with diabetes thrive, too. At the end of 2018, her daughter was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Fiasp is not approved for use in in insulin pumps in the United States, though it is in Europe. There are trials underway to support it. A faster insulin is probably better in an insulin pump. It starts working sooner and doesn’t last as long so you get stuck with less insulin on board.

So the price of Fiasp will be as ridiculously high as Novolog. Big Pharma continues to placate shareholders at the expense of diabetics. And the Republican government thinks that is just fine. A word of advice to younger diabetics. Migrate from the US to Canada, France or the UK.

Moving to Canada won’t save you anything. Fiasp isn’t covered under most provincial plans and even with medical insurance from my work the cost is only 75% covered. The universal health care in my province only provides the same crap insulin you can get at Walmart for $25 a bottle.

Well, I don’t think your are right to bring up this Republican govt in this conversation. WTH does that have to do with anything. Our Govt is controlled by big Corp. It doesn’t matter if its the GOP or the DEM. Dem had complete control of the Presidency, House, and Senate and still did NOTHING.

I think it’s misleadnng to say it works in 2.5 minutes and call it Ultra Fast. Look at the Prescribing Information directly from Novo and it tells a different story. Time to First Measurable Effect is 20, 17 and 16 minutes (depending on dose). What you should also point out is the Time for Effect to Return to Baseline; 5, 6 and 7 hours. Why do do post prandial hypos happen? Because our meals have digested and insulin is still working up to 7 hours. Just in time to stack for your next meal.

Thanks for your comment, Anthony. I’ve linked to the press release and clarified that they state it has an onset of appearance in the blood in 2.5 minutes, which may not be the same as measurable effect. If so, it may not be faster than humalog, novolog, and apidra. I’ll continue to look into this, thanks again!